Followers of the non denominational Church of Universal Love
and Music worship through listening to live music and dancing, much to the chagrin of church neighbors who, for a while, managed to stop the church from holding their boisterous events. Although the county interceded on the side of neighbors, the church sued last year on
First Amendment grounds and won a settlement of $75 000 and secured the right
to hold a limited number of weekend concerts per year on the church’s privately
held property in Ajax.

Officers Raid Weekend Concert Event

Undercover officers mingling at a past church event witnessed
flagrant drug use and commerce and the evidence they brought to a judge was
enough to secure a warrant to raid last weekend’s event. Assistant District
Attorney Mark Brooks, leader of the Fayette County Drug Task Force, said that
what undercover police told him about past concerts “made it sound
like Woodstock
on steroids”

Police say that as soon as they stepped out of their
unmarked car at past events, they witnessed drug use and were offered
drugs. Undercover police described it, saying, “we never asked to purchase
drugs; people came up to us offering drugs ... all we did was stand there like
patrons listening to the music."

During the raid, a team of more than 30 officers swooped in
on the 45 acre church facility, causing many concert goers to drop their drugs
and flee into the surrounding forest.

Brooks said they found such a large quantity of drugs and
drug paraphernalia that they had to use the state’s forfeiture law to seize
two on site trailers, just to haul all the contraband back to the station.

Church founder, Willie Pritts, won the right to hold
concerts after successfully arguing that his church worshiped through music;
this was the 5th concert held this year and it was attended by an
estimated 500 to 600 people.

Rev Larry Newell, a pastor with the church, says that the
raid was political and that the community has never accepted the church. He vowed to fight what he called an intimidation attempt, continuing with a planned
concert event for the next weekend and in federal court.

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